Chris Austin Appointed Heritage Trust President

The West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust is delighted to announce that Chris Austin OBE has accepted the role of President of the Trust. This is an honorary appointment. Chris succeeds Lady Elizabeth Gass who has stepped down from the role on health grounds.

Chris Austin has been a volunteer on the West Somerset Railway for 35 years and a member of the Trust for 14. He is a retired railwayman, actively engaged as a volunteer with a number of railway groups. He is currently secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail, past Chairman of the Heritage Trust and a former PLC Chairman. He is a member and past president of the Retired Railway Officers’ Society and a member of the Avocet Line Rail User Group in Devon.

He retired in February, 2009 as Head of Public Affairs for the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), after a railway career of 42 years. Prior to this, he was an Executive Director with the Strategic Rail Authority, responsible for producing the Government’s policy on Community Rail Development. In retirement he was a Board Member of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships until March 2016. He worked for British Rail for thirty years, finishing as the Board’s Director of Policy and Parliamentary Affairs.

Together with Lord Faulkner of Worcester, he has written two books on the social and political history of rail closures (Holding the Line, 2012 and Disconnected! Broken Links in Britain’s Rail Policy in 2015.)

He holds a Master of Arts degree from Cambridge University, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and was awarded the OBE in 2006 for services to the railway industry. In 2017 he was given a special contribution award by the West Somerset Railway on completing 30 years service as a volunteer, and in 2018, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of Community Rail Partnerships.

“We are delighted that Chris has agreed to become our next President and thank Lady Gass as our outgoing President for her invaluable support of the Trust over many years. Chris’s nomination received overwhelming support from the Board and he comes with a huge pedigree in the railway heritage world. He is widely respected across the WSR and the wider railway community, even reaching into Parliamentary circles with his participation in the All-Party Group. His work and influence supporting the Trust over many years is probably unparalleled in our history and I know he will continue to bring huge credibility and respect to the charity as our next President“.

Heritage Trust Chairman, Mike Thompson

“It is an honour to take over the mantle from Lady Gass whose great great-grandfather was the founder and first chairman of the railway. I’m excited to be taking on the role at the time when the Trust has become more effective in its support for the West Somerset Railway, reaching out to schools and families, providing a museum worthy of the railway and making a start on the huge task of restoring its historic coaches. I shall continue as a museum steward and with carriage restoration, working with the great group of volunteers who, together with the Trustees, provide a better experience for the railways visitors”.

Chris Austin

For further information please contact Steve Williams, Company Secretary at steve@williamsemail.uk or 07748-637209

Share the Post:

Recent News Posts

WSR Heritage Trust Gains Museum Accreditation

January 25, 2026

The Gauge Museum at Bishops Lydeard on the West Somerset Railway has been awarded Full Accreditation by the Arts Council. The Museum, which is run by the West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust, holds a wide range of artefacts which display and tell the story of the history and heritage of the West Somerset Railway and the Great Western Railway.

Administered by Arts Council England on behalf of the UK Accreditation Partnership, Accreditation is the benchmark for well-run Museums and Galleries.

It means that the Gauge Museum is properly managed and governed to the nationally agreed industry standard and shows the museum takes proper care of its collections, sharing them with visitors and keeping them safe for future generations.

Accreditation opens up exciting funding opportunities, allows museums to host touring exhibitions and gives access to professional advice and support. It also gives confidence to donors and sponsors who may wish to support the museum in preserving heritage and inspiring future generations

Steve Williams, Trust Vice Chairman and Trust Accreditation Lead said: “This is a fantastic outcome for the Trust and marks the combination of three years of hard work by a small and dedicated team of volunteers many of whom now make up our Museum Management Team. This means that the Trust is recognised as working to a high standard of Museum and collections management and care. We now have to ensure that we deliver to those standards and continue to make the Gauge Museum as welcoming and as interesting an experience for visitors and volunteers alike”.

Ian Camp, Trustee and Museum Curator said: “This achievement represents a significant milestone for our museum. The progress we have made is the result of the unwavering dedication and hard work of our team over the past several years. Their commitment has been instrumental in reaching this important point in our journey.

We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to Rachel Bellamy, our Museum Development Officer, whose support and guidance have been invaluable throughout this process. Her expertise has helped steer us in the right direction and ensured that we met the necessary standards for accreditation.

Securing this recognition marks another important step towards fulfilling our vision of being a professional museum, managed and operated by a group of passionate and committed volunteers.”

Helen Anson, Trustee and Museum Professional Adviser said: “This is a defining moment for the Heritage Trust. By gaining accreditation we have demonstrated our deep commitment to our museums service, setting high standards in organisational health, collections care and management and visitor experience. The contribution from the whole team has been outstanding and their passion for embedding excellence across the organisation will ensure that we continue to build on this success over the coming years.”

Having gained Accreditation for the Gauge Museum, the Trust will in 2026 be pursuing a similar outcome for its other site at Blue Anchor station on the WSR which is now opened to visitors again following an extensive programme of refurbishment and reinterpretation.

WSRHT Board Meeting August 2025 Minutes Published

September 24, 2025

August 2025
Board Meeting Minutes Published

The West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust is pleased to publish the minutes of its August Board Meeting on Thursday, 7th August 2025.

Please click the Board Meeting link to access the document as a pop-up tab. Alternatively, to view all Trust Board Meetings since 2016 – view the collection.

Gauge Museum Blue Anchor

September 12, 2025

The Trust is pleased to announce that the Gauge Museum Blue Anchor has reopened in April. The website on the Gauge Museum Blue Anchor has new photos of the Museum’s interior and new panels showing lots of information.

Please do have a visit to the new webpage under Museums > Gauge Museum Blue Anchor drop down. Alternatively click here.

Thank you for spending your time visiting the Railway and the Heritage Trust.

Chris Austin Appointed Heritage Trust President